Panelized Ceiling System

ABSTRACT

A panel for use in constructing a ceiling of an enclosure, particularly a cleanroom without using a grid support. The panel includes a thin shell or skin which is placed around an internal bracing member in such as fashion that the resulting panel can be hung from an overhead support in a fashion to have a single join or seam between adjacent panels.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a Divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/683,242, filed Mar. 7, 2007, the entire disclosure of which is hereinincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a ceiling system, particularly a panelizedceiling system for a cleanroom or similar enclosure internal to anotherstructure.

2. Description of the Related Art

There has recently been a steady rise in the use of cleanrooms as partof manufacturing in a variety of industries including, but not limitedto, pharmaceuticals, microelectronics, biotech, food processing,surgical, and even painting applications. The need to avoid aninadvertent introduction of foreign particles into a resultant productis desirable in these types of industries to insure that the end productproduced is safe, workable, and of consistent quality. In manymicroelectronic applications, for example, particles which are notvisible to a human eye can get into a manufacturing process and renderthe resultant product completely inoperable. In pharmaceuticals and foodpreparation, an inadvertent introduction of contaminants can make theproducts poisonous or undesirable to use, in addition to resulting inviolations of required manufacturing standards.

Most cleanrooms are generally constructed internal to other buildings orstructures, and the use of such internal cleanrooms is becoming highlydesirable as they are often cheaper, easier to construct, and use thanhaving entire “clean buildings,” In its most general form, building aninternal cleanroom simply requires that a portion of the internal volumeof the initial structure be sealed off from the resultant environmentalof that structure. This portion is then supplied with its own airhandling and filtration systems which serve to remove particles and thelike from the air. Air is constantly flowed into the cleanroom from airhandling devices which constantly remove pollutants from the environmentin the form of or air suspended material using filters and relatedtechnologies. The filtered air is then returned to the internal volumeof the cleanroom and cycles through again. In this way, the air is bothoriginally clean, and is then constantly scrubbed to continually removeany introduced particles. The constant air motion also serves to movenewly introduced particles away from work areas and into filters tofurther protect the delicate work.

Certain cleanrooms are not as concerned with particulate presence asthey are with general cleanliness. These cleanrooms are designed to berepeatedly cleaned and disinfected to keep them free from theintroduction of germs and other biologicals which contaminate theprocesses. In particular, in many pharmaceutical manufacturingprocesses, the introduction of a particulate on its own will notnecessarily effect the resultant pharmaceutical's effectiveness, butintroduction of an algal spore or virus could produce an allergicreaction in the user or even damage the product.

Traditionally, cleanrooms have been constructed of modular uprightpanels which form walls. These panels may then be attached to existingfloors or ceilings to form the cleanroom. For more demandingapplications, existing structures are not used and the clean room has anintroduced floor and ceilings effectively suspending the clean room'sinternal volume. These constructed floors and ceiling are used as manytraditional construction materials are sufficiently porous to allow anoverly large amount of air to enter the clean room environment which canbe prevented by using such constructed systems.

Ceilings in a cleanroom have traditionally been constructed by providinga ceiling grid which comprises a series of beams which are connectedtogether to form a grid frame having a number of openings therethrough.Ceiling panels are then placed in each of the openings, such as on thearms of an inverted “T” shape located on the grid to form the ceiling.To provide for sealant of the panels to the grid, the grid will oftenhave troughs formed on the inside of the aims of the T which include agel sealant, placed in the trough in a low viscosity state. The gel isthen allowed to increase in viscosity and fill the trough. Each panelthen includes a knife-like edge which is pressed into the gel to form atight seal between the panel and the grid. This seal is generallyairtight and serves to seal the room.

While these systems work in many clean room applications, in some of themost demanding “clean” applications, they are unsuitable because thedesign necessarily creates cracks and crevices in the resultant ceilingof the cleanroom. The cracks and crevices can harbor contaminants suchas mildew, even if the ceiling is cleaned regularly. This isparticularly problematic in the gel based sealing system because the gelitself can attach to particulates which become difficult to removebecause they are attached to the gel.

There are some grid systems designed to try and reduce and/or eliminatethese cracks and crevices by providing for a flush internal surface ofthe ceiling of the cleanroom. These systems, however, and stilldependent on the grid type of construction leaving a number of cracks inthe ceiling.

SUMMARY

The following is a summary of the invention in order to provide a basicunderstanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is notintended to identify key or critical elements of the invention or todelineate the scope of the invention. The sole purpose of this sectionis to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as aprelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

Because of these and other problems in the art, described herein areceiling panels, a panelized ceiling, and methods for constructing apanelized ceiling which can provide for a internal surface which isgenerally monolithic and relatively flush for the purpose of cleaningwith liquids. Particularly, the ceiling provides for fewer cracks whichcould harbor materials by eliminating the grid system support andtherefore decreasing the number of points of connection in the ceiling'ssurface. This type of ceiling, therefore, will generally provide forimproved cleaning and an easier to clean surface.

Described herein, among other things, is a constructed panel, for use aspart of a ceiling of an enclosure, the panel comprising: a internal loadbearing member; a polygonal top face placed on top of the load bearingmember; a polygonal bottom face placed under the load bearing member; atleast 3 sides connecting the top face to the bottom face in such amanner as to enclose the load bearing member, at least two of the sidesbeing arranged so as to slant inward toward the load bearing member whenmoving from the bottom face to the top face and including at least onemounting hole therein.

In an embodiment, the enclosure is a cleanroom

In an embodiment the internal load bearing member comprises a honeycombwhich may be constructed of aluminum. The top face, the bottom face, andthe sides may constructed of a material selected from the groupconsisting of aluminum and steel and may be constructed of a singlesheet bent into shape.

In an embodiment, the bottom face, the top face and the sides areconstructed of a single sheet bent into shape and the top face mayattached by a bend to a single of the sides or may be bonded, such as byadhesives, to at least one of the sides.

In an embodiment, at least one, and possibly all, of the side panelsincludes at least two mounting holes which may be sized and shaped tointerface with a prong located toward a distal end of a hook.

In an embodiment, all of the sides are arranged as to slant inwardtoward the load bearing member when moving from the bottom face to thetop face making the panel a pyramid frustum.

In an embodiment, the base is a quadrilateral which may be rectangularor square. In such arrangement, two opposing sides associated with twoopposing sides of the quadrilateral are arranged to slant inward, andthe other two opposing sides are arranged to be generally perpendicularto the base.

There is also described herein a panelized ceiling for a cleanroom, theceiling comprising: a plurality of constructed panels, each panelincluding: a internal load bearing member; a polygonal top face placedon top of the load bearing member; a polygonal bottom face placed underthe load bearing member; at least 3 sides connecting the top face to thebottom face in such a manner as to form a polygonal pyramid frustumwhich encloses the load bearing member, each of the side panelsincluding at least two mounting holes therein; a plurality of hooks,each of the hooks including: a main body with a distal and a proximalend and a length therebetween; at least two prongs, arranged toward thedistal end of the main body and extending from the main body; and aconnector located toward the proximal end; and a plurality of rods, eachof the rods being connected to an overhead support and having a distalconnector; wherein, the ceiling is formed by attaching the proximal endof the rod to the overhead support and the distal connector of the rodto the connector of the hook; placing one of the prongs on each hookthrough one of the mounting holes in a first of the plurality of panelsand a second of the prongs on the same hook through one of the mountingholes in a second of the plurality of panels; and repeating the step ofplacing until all panels are attached to at least two hooks; andwherein, the bases of the first and the second panels are adjacent andcloser to each other than the tops of the first and the second panels.

In an embodiment of the ceiling, the bases of first and the secondpanels are touching and caulk which is placed in contact with adjacentsides of the first and the second panel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a cleanroom utilizing hanging ceiling panels. FIG. 1A showsa perspective view of the arrangement of a cleanroom utilizing hangingceiling panels while FIG. 1B shows an overhead view of a portion of thesame ceiling.

FIG. 2 shows a ceiling panel. FIG. 2A provides a perspective view of thepanel with the top surface removed to show internal structure. FIG. 2Bshows a cut-through of the panel and FIG. 2C shows a perspective view ofthe panel

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a hanging hook.

FIG. 4 shows a cut-through drawing of two ceiling panels and a hangingsupport structure which provide for the connection point between twopanels.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a single panel connected to a numberof hooks.

FIG. 6 shows a cut through drawing of a second connection point betweentwo panels.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

The following detailed description illustrates by way of example and notby way of limitation. Described herein, among other things, areembodiments of ceiling panels (200) which can be used to provide for thepanelized ceiling (105) of a structure (100) which is generallyassembled internal to another structure (300) or assembled internal toan exterior frame. Generally, the ceiling (105) is constructed so as tohave as few seams (that is connection points between differentstructures) as possible in a panel arrangement by eliminating the needfor a ceiling grid. In particular, the external structure (300), and/orexternal frame will serve to provide external support for the ceiling(105) particularly with the ceiling (105) being supported from above byhanging from overhead supports (205). This overhead support (205) mayeither be a strut channel, bar, truss, or similar structure attached tothe roof of the external structure (300), or a purposefully builtskeleton designed to support such a hanging ceiling (105).

FIG. 1 provides for a general embodiment of a clean room structure (100)placed inside another structure (300) in this case a warehouse or officestructure. The cleanroom (100) comprises walls (101), a floor (103), anda ceiling (105). There is also an environment (107) outside thecleanroom in which there is provided an air handling system (109). Theair handling system (109) serves to push air into and pull air out ofthe internal volume (111) of the clean room.

It should be apparent that the clean room's internal volume (111) is thearea that is to remain clean. To do so, the area generally remains atleast partially isolated from the environment (107) inhibiting air (oranything else) from unintentionally passing into the internal volume(111) from the environment (107). In particular, if air passes from theinternal volume (111) to the environment (107), it is generally not aproblem. However, it is desirable to control both what enters theinternal volume (111), and what is present in the internal volume (111).For this reason, air in the internal volume (111) will be regularlyremoved by the air handling system (109) and cleaned. This air will thenbe reintroduced into the internal volume (111). In this manner the airin the cleanroom (100) has had initial particles removed therefrom, andthe air handling system (109) continues to clean the air so that anynewly introduced particles (such as from the humans working in theinternal volume) are removed on a regular basis.

The air handling system (109), in the depicted embodiment, is locatedabove the ceiling (105) of the internal volume (111). This is aconvenient location as air flow inside the internal volume (111) isoften specifically provided to be from floor (103) to ceiling (105) orvice versa. Such a flow generally serves to move particles generated bya human working in the internal volume (111) away from objects which arebeing worked on and are generally at similar level to the individuals.However, this also requires the ceiling (105) to be able to support theweight of the air handling system (109). Still further, as a mechanicaldevice, the air handling system (109) will require maintenance andrepair. Therefore, to be able to access the air handling system (109) itis desirable that the ceiling (105) be able to support the weight of ahuman being working on the air handling system (109) and walking acrossthe upper surface of the ceiling to reach the air handling system (109).In this way, the user can access the air handling system (109) fromexternal to the cleanroom (100) instead of having to open a hatchway orsimilar structure through the ceiling (105) of the cleanroom (100)introducing yet another seam or connecting point, and without need forexterior catwalks or similar structures.

The walls (101) and floor (103) of the cleanroom (100) may be ofconventional construction whether modular or otherwise. The ceiling(105), in this embodiment, however, is comprised on a series ofinterconnected hanging panels. The ceiling (105) of FIG. 1 does notinclude a grid as a grid is unnecessary for support for the panelsdiscussed herein. Instead the ceiling (105) is formed of a series ofpanels which are attached to individual hooks which serve to support theceiling (105) from an overhead support (205).

FIG. 2 provides a more detailed view of a the panel (200) a plurality ofwhich are used to form the ceiling (105) of FIG. 1. Each of the panels(200) is generally an irregular polyhedron having an internal loadbearing member (211) which is surrounded by an external shell (213). Thepolyhedron will generally have two major faces which comprise its topface (221) and its bottom face (223). It will also have a number ofsides (225) and (227). In the embodiment of FIG. 2, each of the majorfaces (221) and (223) of the panel is generally rectangular so there arefour sides (225) and (227). These sides are labeled long sides (225) andshort sides (227) to correspond with the rectangular shape. One ofordinary skill in the art would understand, however, that any number ofsides (225) and (227) may be included, the number will, generally, bebased on the number of edges of each of the major faces (221) and (223)and these sides may have any appropriate size.

The internal structure (211) will generally be provided to give thepanel (200) strength and may be comprised of any materials orcombination of materials. In this embodiment, the internal structure(211) is a shaped aluminum honeycomb (215) formed into the samegenerally polyhedral shape as the panel (200), and which forms agenerally rigid structure capable of load bearing. In alternativeembodiments, alternative construction materials and designs may be used.For instance, the internal structure (211) may be solid, or may compriseother designs such as foams or even composite panels. It is generallypreferred that the internal structure (211) be a structure capable ofload bearing and therefore be a load bearing member so as to providerigidity to the panel (200) as well as providing for strength to supportthe air handling system (109) as well as a person who would be able towalk on the top face (221) without the ceiling (105) collapsing.

The external shell (213) in the depicted embodiment comprises anencapsulating cover for the internal structure (211). This serves toboth define the shape of the panel (200), and to provide it with agenerally monolithic surface. In the depicted embodiment, the externalshell (213) comprises a thin sheet of bent aluminum.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2 the shell (213) is constructed in such afashion that there are bend points (233) formed between the bottom face(223) and the sides (225) and (227). The connections between the topface (221) and the sides (225) and (227) may be bend points (231), ormay be joins (235) such as, but not limited to, caulk lines or chemicalor heat welds. The use of different kinds of connections between thefaces (221) and (223) and the sides (225) and (227) are preferred butnot required to provide for additional elimination of possible seams inthe ceiling (105). In particular, by including only bend joints (233)between the bottom face (223) and the sides (225) and (227), there areno cracks formed into which material can be harbored toward the bottomface (223) of each panel (200) instead the “connection” is solid. As thebottom face (223) will generally be used to form the actual ceiling(105) surface of the interior volume (111) of the cleanroom (100) (withthe remaining structure of the panel (200) being “above” the ceiling(105) and effectively in the environment (107). This constructioneliminates a first seam because the smooth nature of the bend (233)provides for a monolithic surface which is easy to clean.

The joins (231) and (235) between the top face (221) and the sides (225)and (227) are not as important as these will general not border on theinternal volume of the cleanroom (100). Therefore, if these were toharbor material, it generally cannot get into the cleanroom (100) and issimply in the environment (107). Further, even if material was to getinternal to the panel (200) from a join such as (235), it generallycannot pass out of the panel (200) into the cleanroom (100) because ofthe monolithic construction of the bends (233) inhibiting such passage.Instead, the material would be held internal to the panel (200).

In an alternative embodiment of panel (200), the internal structure(211) and the external shell (213) may comprise a single construction asopposed to two separate constructions as illustrated in FIG. 2. Forinstance, the panel (200) may be constructed of a slab of aluminum. Thisis generally not preferred due to weight and expense, however it doescomprise an embodiment of the current invention. In this case, theexternal shell (213) and internal structure (211) are essentially thesame component, however, the two components are referred to separatelyfor clarity as in such a case the external shell (213) is effectivelysimply the outer surface of the slab and items which would pass throughthe external shell (213) would still so pass through.

In the depicted embodiment, the panel (200) is formed to be a partialpyramidal frustum formed from a rectangular or square base. The shape iscalled a partial frustum in some embodiments because not all the sidestilt inward as would be the case in a true frustum. In particular, inthe embodiment of FIG. 2, the two short sides (227) are in fact parallelto each other and extend generally perpendicular to the bottom face(223) and top face (221) while the two long sides (225) follow thegenerally frustum shape and extend inward toward the internal structure(211) when moving from the bottom face (223) toward the top face (221).In an alternative embodiment, angled walls may also be included as theshort sides (227) making the device a true frustum.

In each of the long sides (225), as can be seen in FIG. 2A, there isincluded at least one, and generally three mounting holes (241). Theseare arranged at intervals on each long side (225) and are generallyevenly spaced from the center point of each long side (225) of the panel(200). This provides a panel (200) generally resembling that shown inFIG. 2. The mounting holes (241) preferably extend along a line parallelto the top (221) and bottom (223) faces of the panel (200) to formelongated openings. In the depicted embodiment, only the long sides(225) include the mounting holes (241). This is by no means required andin alternative embodiments the short sides (225) may additionally oralternatively include mounting holes (241). Generally, the mountingholes (241) will only be positioned on sides which are angled inwardssince, as discussed later, the mounting holes (241) are used tointerface with hooks (400) while still providing clearance for thosehooks (400) when the panels are formed into the ceiling (105). However,in alternative embodiments, this is not necessary.

The panels (200) are used in conjunction with hanging hooks (400) suchas those shown in FIG. 3. Each hook (400) will generally comprise a mainbody portion (401) of a generally elongated flattened construction andincluding a distal (403) and proximal (405) end and a lengththerebetween. At the distal end (403) there are located two prongs(441). Each prong is generally elongated in such a manner as to producea “scoop” type shape as is visible in FIG. 3. The prongs (441) will eachextend at an acute angle to the length of the main body (401) resultingin the hook (400) appearing like that of an arrowhead in cross-sectionas shown in FIG. 4. At the proximal end (405) of the main body (401)there is provided a connector (415). The connector (415) may be of anytype but will generally be internally threaded in a manner so as to belockingly threaded with a rod (515) or may include, as shown in FIG. 4an internal nut (425) held in a groove (427) into which a threaded rod(515) may be connected.

To create the ceiling (105) from the panels (200) in a preferredembodiment one would generally hang the panels (200) from the hooks(400) by placing the prongs (441) in the mounting holes (241). Acut-through of two adjacent panels (200) and a single connection hook(400) as they would usually be arranged is shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 5provides a perspective view of a single panel (200) attached to a seriesof hooks (400) connected to an external support (205) to show thehanging structure. In alternative embodiments, the ceiling panels couldbe supported by alternative structures such as column and beamarrangements instead of being hung. These, however, are generally lesspreferred as they will often result in the creation of additional seams.

To support the ceiling panels (200) in place and form the ceiling (105),a plurality of rods (515) are provided which are attached to theoverhead support (205). Generally so as to be suspended from overheadsupport (205) and hold the ceiling (105) in place, these rods (515) aresized and shaped to allow the ceiling (105) to be hung at the desiredheight from the overhead supports (205), and may include adjustmentmechanisms (525) to provide that positioning. The proximal ends (405) ofthe hooks (400) will be generally screwed onto a distal end (505) of therods (515) and generally firmly locked in place to provide for supportsuch as by gluing the threads. This connection may be further reinforcedby the inclusion of a strapping bracket (551) which extends over theconnection and attaches to the top face (221) of the panel (200). Thiscan provide additional force distribution, if required, or can serve tocover the hook (400) to improve appearances and inhibit items frombecoming caught in the hook (400) connection. An embodiment of such anoptional bracket is shown in FIG. 4. A plurality of rods (515) isgenerally placed on the overhead supports (205) so as to form lines ofrods (515) as can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 5.

Panels (200) are attached to the hooks (400) and thus the rods (515) sothat one prong (441) of each hook (400) is placed in a mounting hole(241) in a side (225) of the panel (200). As can be seen in FIG. 5, theshape of the prongs (441) is such that the panels (200) will generallybe inclined to hang relatively horizontal. This process is repeated forneighboring panels (200) until the ceiling (105) is completed. As shouldbe apparent from the FIGS. At the edge of the ceiling (105), a half-hook(400) with only a single (instead of the double) prong (441) willgenerally be used to hang the ceiling (105) adjacent to the wall (103).Alternatively, an angle bracket or similar structure may be used toattach the ceiling to the walls.

Once all the panels (200) are positioned, the ceiling (105) hasessentially been formed. As can be seen in FIG. 1 there are basicallyfour joins (601) for each panel (200) to an adjacent panel (200) or thewall (103). The two long side joins (601A) are as shown in FIG. 4 whilethe short side joins (601B) are as shown in FIG. 6.

As can be best seen in FIG. 4, because of the partial frustum pyramidshape of the panels (200), the main body (401) of the hook (400) can beplaced between adjacent sides (225), and between adjacent top faces(221) which are separated by a larger amount of space to accommodate themain body (401) of the hook (400) than the bottom faces (223) ofadjacent panels (200) which are in very close proximity, if they are nottouching. The small seam or crevice forming the join (601A) between thebottom faces (223) can be filled with a putty, gel, caulk, foam, orother material (605) that is designed to fill gaps being placed into theseam between the adjacent panels. In an embodiment, a small brace orextension (not shown) may extend from one or both of the long sides(225) or be placed between the long sides (325) to provide a back stopfor such caulk, gel or putty (605).

As shown in FIG. 6, on the short sides (227), the sides (227), which aregenerally parallel to each other, are also close or touching along theirentire surface as there is no need to make room for the hooks (400).This means the edges of the top faces (221) are generally closer herethan they are along the long sides (225). Again, the gap forming thejoin (601B) between the two bottom faces (223) may be filled with caulkor other material (605) to close the gap. There may also be included aconnection panel (651) which is used to connect the panels (200)together rigidly by being bolted, screwed or otherwise attached to thetop faces (221) of two adjacent panels (200).

While the embodiments of FIGS. 4 and 6 provide for different types ofconnection at the long sides (225) compared to the short sides (227),one of ordinary skill in the art would see that this is not the only waythe panels (200) can be connected. In an alternative embodiment, themethodologies on the short sides (227) and long sides (225) may bereversed. Alternatively, the connection of FIG. 4 could be used on everyside. In still a further embodiment, the side around the holes (241) maybe angled, but other portions of the side may not be combining the twoconnections on the same face. In a still further embodiment, theconnection of FIG. 6 can be used on every side. In this embodiment,however, the side mount hooks (400) would generally not be used as theywould generally force the panels (200) too far apart in clearing the topsurfaces to provide a small enough crease to be caulked (although itcould be used this way if the hooks (400) main body (401) weresufficiently narrow). Generally, in this type of embodiment, the hooks(400) would attach directly to the top face (221) of the panel (200)instead of to the sides (225) or (227). For instance, the internalstructure (211) may include a support molding or other structure whichthe hooks (400) connect to by passing through the top face (211).

Regardless of the embodiment used, in the end, the bottom faces (223) ofthe panels (200) forming the ceiling (105) end up being virtually nextto each other, and with appropriate design can in fact sit so as to betouching in a preferred embodiment. The thin gap between them is thenfilled with caulk or similar material (605) to provide for sealant ofthe seam. In such a construction the bottom face (223), which forms theceiling (105) surface of the cleanroom (100) is therefore relativelymonolithic and includes only one seam (601) at each junction betweenpanels and that seam (601) is relatively tight and easily filled with arelatively small amount of a connection material (605). This providesfor a very easy to clean surface. Further, the connection material (605)will generally provide for a relatively smooth transition between theadjacent panels (200).

As opposed to a ceiling which uses a grid, this ceiling (105) willgenerally only have half as many seams (601) in the final constructionas a grid based system requires two joins between each adjacent panel.Specifically, a join between the first panel and the grid and a joinbetween the second panels and the grid. Still further, in many gridsystem, the grid channel itself includes a join. In the depicted ceiling(105), there is only a single join (601) between any two adjacentpanels. This can provide, in an embodiment, a ceiling with anessentially flat monolithic surface.

While the invention has been disclosed in connection with certainpreferred embodiments, this should not be taken as a limitation to allof the provided details. Modifications and variations of the describedembodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention, and other embodiments should be understood to beencompassed in the present disclosure as would be understood by those ofordinary skill in the art.

1. A constructed panel, for use as part of a ceiling of an enclosure,the panel comprising: a internal load bearing member; a polygonal topface placed on top of said load bearing member; a polygonal bottom faceplaced under said load bearing member; at least 3 sides connecting saidtop face to said bottom face in such a manner as to enclose said loadbearing member, at least two of said sides being arranged so as to slantinward toward said load bearing member when moving from said bottom faceto said top face and including at least one mounting hole therein. 2.The panel of claim 1 wherein said enclosure is a cleanroom
 3. The panelof claim 1 wherein said internal load bearing member comprises ahoneycomb.
 4. The panel of claim 3 wherein said honeycomb is constructedof aluminum.
 5. The panel of claim 1 wherein said top face, said bottomface, and said sides are constructed of a material selected from thegroup consisting of aluminum and steel.
 6. The panel of claim 1 whereinsaid bottom face and said sides are constructed of a single sheet bentinto shape.
 7. The panel of claim 6 wherein said bottom face, said topface and said sides are constructed of a single sheet bent into shape.8. The panel of claim 7 wherein said top face is attached by a bend to asingle of said sides.
 9. The panel of claim 8 wherein said top face isbonded to at least one of said sides.
 10. The panel of claim 9 whereinsaid top face is bonded by adhesives.
 11. The panel of claim 1 whereinat least one of said at least two side panels includes at least twomounting holes.
 12. The panel of claim 11 wherein all of said at leasttwo side panels include at least two mounting holes.
 13. The panel ofclaim 1 wherein said mounting holes are sized and shaped to interfacewith a prong located toward a distal end of a hook.
 14. The panel ofclaim 1 wherein all of said sides are arranged as to slant inward towardsaid load bearing member when moving from said bottom face to said topface making said panel a pyramid frustum.
 15. The panel of claim 1wherein said base is a quadrilateral.
 16. The panel of claim 15 whereinsaid base is rectangular.
 17. The panel of claim 15 wherein two opposingsides associated with two opposing sides of said quadrilateral arearranged to slant inward, and the other two opposing sides are arrangedto be generally perpendicular to said base.